How ‘fake Army officer’s wife’s defrauded poultry sellers in Enugu
What appeared to be a festive windfall for poultry sellers at Abakpa Market in Enugu turned into a costly deception after a woman, posing as a military officer’s wife, allegedly
- From Damian Duruiheoma, Enugu
What appeared to be a festive windfall for poultry sellers at Abakpa Market in Enugu turned into a costly deception after a woman, posing as a military officer’s wife, allegedly duped traders and fled with N500,000 on the eve of last Eid-el-Fitr.
The incident, which has gone viral on the social media, occurred on March 19, a day before Muslims celebrated Eid-el-Fitr, when the suspect arrived the market in a tricycle and announced her intention to purchase 600 chickens for ‘Salah’ festivities.
Her request sparked excitement among the traders, many of whom had been struggling with low sales.
Advertisement
300x250
One of the victims, Mr. Paschal Ihuamadi, said the woman went around asking sellers how many birds they had, with responses ranging from 50 to over 150 chickens.
Read Also: ‘Tinubu’s economic reforms designed to make Nigeria work’
“She told us she would buy everything because they needed it for ‘Sallah’. Everyone was eager to sell,” Ihuamadi recounted.
In a calculated move to gain their trust, the woman approached a Point-of-Sale (PoS) operator in the market and requested N500,000 cash. The operator reportedly handed over the money after assuring her he could provide even larger sums if needed.
Armed with the cash, the suspect returned to the traders and instructed them to begin slaughtering chickens to meet her target of 600 birds, creating the impression that payment would be made after delivery.
As the slaughtering continued, the woman further reinforced her ‘intention’ by bringing in two men from the Mammy Market area, dressed casually in singlets, and presenting them as soldiers. She claimed to be the wife of a military Major and said the men would assist in handling the consignment.
Advertisement
300x250
However, in the midst of the activity, she told the traders she was stepping out briefly to purchase rice for the celebration. She never returned.
It was only after the traders had slaughtered hundreds of chickens in anticipation of payment that they realised they had been deceived—not only had the supposed buyer vanished, but the entire exercise had merely served as a distraction while she escaped with the N500,000 obtained from the PoS operator.
“Our plan was to take the chickens to the barracks and get paid, but she disappeared. That was when it dawned on us that everything was a scam,” Ihuamadi said.
The affected traders later took the two unsuspecting men to a nearby police station, where officers confirmed the incident as a fraudulent scheme. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) reportedly sympathised with the victims, but faulted the PoS operator for releasing such a large sum without proper safeguards.
The traders said they neither collected the woman’s contact details nor could clearly identify her, as she remained veiled throughout her visit.
The incident has left many poultry sellers devastated, with significant financial losses incurred from the slaughtered birds. For some, like Ihuamadi, the damage was particularly severe.
“Those were the last birds in my farm. Since then, I’ve just been struggling to stay afloat. I just need any kind of assistance that I can get. I’ve never been this down before,” he lamented.
The incident has heightened concerns over rising cases of deception in local markets, especially during festive periods, underscoring the need for increased caution among traders and financial operators alike.
